Prehistoric Subgaian Jungle
Category:LDDD Manses =Prehistoric Subgaian Jungle= Wood Manse 3 Drawbacks: 1-point Habitability Powers: Outside Fate (4 points), Provider (Wood Favored 3; 2 points), Subtle Breath of Sextes Jylis (Wood Favored 2; 1 point), Cosmetic Displays (0 point power) Hearthstone: Stone of Resilient Bamboo (Inset in Merciful Glory) Attuned by: Ceril Tesus Hearthstone Bearer: Ceril Tesus An unimaginably long time ago, as long ago from the end of the First Age as the Primordial Wars were long ago from the Age of Sorrows, before the solidification of the order of things as it would come to be in the Age of the Celestial Incarnae, when inhuman sentient beings roamed Creation and tested Creation as it was, a group of these prehistoric creatures found themselves in what would correspond to the East as it would be known, deep in the jungles. There they found a cavern, which led down – down, down, seemingly without end, into Gaia herself. There, they came upon a strange and wondrous thing; a vast cavern, illuminated by glowing crystals, the floor earthen instead of rock, from which grew plants; low, sleek plants, great trees as well, and towering, capped mushrooms, their fungal structures as hard as wood. And it was not without it's inhabitants; beasts roamed the underground jungle; powerful beasts, strong and swift, cunning and quick; not overly deadly nor aggressive, they were still animals not to be trifled with. It was a place that appealed to the primal nature of these beings; a place worthy of preservation, of dwelling within, and so they did. As they did, the essence whispering through the cavern twisted them, imbued their lizard-like bodies with the cunning of the great shaggy beasts and lean, scaled reptiles which hurtled themselves through the trees, but did not rob them of their intelligence. It would come to pass, then, that the wisest among them would realize that disharmonious forces were at work in the cavern, threatening the balance and primal harmony they found beloved. And so, the group toiled; they culled the beasts which grew too many in number; they moved the plentiful jade, of all five colors, which was to be found in plentiful deposits about the cavern, placing them in harmonious locations; their labor lasted for many, many years. When it was complete, the delicate cycle of life in the jungle deep beneath the surface of Gaia had been hung as a delicate, harmonious cord, balanced carefully. Time would pass eternal, but through some quirk of existence, the Subgaian Jungle went unnoticed; it was beneath the notice of the Dragon Kings who would be descendants of the peoples it's original creators had been, it's remote location would cause it to be overlooked by the Primordial Wars. Eventually, long into the High First Age, it would be discovered by a legendary Solar explorer, a Dawn-Caste explorer by the name of Ada Sadao, and her companion on that expedition, a Wood-Aspected Terrestrial Exalt by the name of Shikoku. It took the explorers a great deal of time to realize the strange and wondrous place they had discovered was actually a Manse, and not a Demense. It seemed to be, for all intents and purposes, a wild Demense; beasts roamed, fruit, vegetables and other edibles grew wild; a fantastic place, deep under the soil and rock, a place of vibrant, unnatural colors, of vivid purples and neon yellows, with which living within had bestowed upon their own skin the colors and vibrant camouflage of the native beasts. It was not until the discovery of the Hearthstone, seemingly grown from a tree that bore an exceptional bounty of fruit, that they realized it was a Manse; and an absolutely ancient one. So ancient was the Manse they had discovered, that it was actually Outside Fate, having been constructed by beings who predated the Loom itself, and somehow having survived such an incredible time intact. It would not do to spread the word of the discovery of the Manse; ever the explorers, the duo found great value in it's prehistoric nature, and great beauty in the flora and fauna within. Should word of it get out, of course, they knew that the Sidereal Exalted would not hesitate to shatter the delicate and magnificent Manse, destroying it and rendering the life and amazing ecological harmony within, all in the name of preventing anyone from possibly hiding from their eyes. That would not do. They vowed themselves to secrecy on the subject, and left; in time, the coloration which had become part of themselves faded, long before they returned to civilization; they left the Manse, though both memorized it's location, neither would ever write a single syllable on the topic. It had, however, left it's mark; Ada Sadao's tomb was greatly influenced by the time she spent in the beautiful cave; she was outlived by her partner on that expedition. Shikoku would live to see the end of days as he knew them; the destruction of all that his friend, companion, and sometimes-lover had held dear. Shikoku would, mere years after Ada Sadao's death, be drawn into a conspiracy vast, his mind warped, convinced that the last true, worthy Lawgivers were deceased, be deceived into participating in a vast uprising against them. In due time, the plan was hatched, and the legions of Terrestrials fell upon the banqueting Solar Exalted, already weakened by poison. Shikoku was not involved in the heavy fighting at the start; he, like hundreds of thousands others, converged, for the fight would inevitably be a long and bloody one. However, from the back ranks, he witnessed a singular sight; one of the Solar Exalted, who had not attended the banquet, was tearing through the lines from the rear, garbed in armor that shone in the darkness like the very Sun itself, denouncing their actions as heresy and treason of the worst sort, and Shikoku was moved, as were countless others. He knew not this Solar, but as he castigated the Terrestrial Host for their rebellion, Shikoku listened, and became ashamed; he was horrified at what he was participating in, staring from the back of his Warbird, a twin to that owned by his former companion, who had awakened exploration within him. Ten of the Sidereal Exalted, those who had goaded the Dragon-Blooded to war on their masters, attacked that lone Solar warrior. Already drained by his long battle, near his end, he cried out for help, and nearby Terrestrials jumped into the fight, as the battle-drained Chosen of the Maidens landed the deathblow on the priest whom he had never known, Shikoku dove upon them, unleashing fire from the maw of his Warbird, as his fellows fought with sorcery, Warstrider, and all the means available to them. The battle was over shortly, and though many of his fellows lay dead, he remained, as did one warrior in a Warstrider. The warrior in the statue nodded to Shikoku; without extra word, they knew what they must do. Shikoku removed the titanic Solar's armor, and as he did so, realized that it was no mere protection of Oricalcum plate, but something special; something beyond him. He knew he must hide it. He placed the armor on the Warbird, and flew; and flew and flew, far, far away from the site of the battle; from high in the sky, as he flew for days on end, he witnessed the carnage their actions had wrought, and grieved for his foolishness in participating in the atrocities which he had. Shikoku returned to that place from long ago, the magnificent cavern, the jungle under the jungle that time forgot. There, he placed the golden armor under the hearthstone altar-tree, and returned the stone to the tree as well. He could not afford to leave something which might be sorcerously traced back here; he knew what he had to do. Leaving the cavern after a mere night's sleep, and one last taste of the succulent fruit which made him weep for his long-lost companion Ada Sadao, Shikoku flew west, hard and fast. He found a battle, where his kin were laying siege to a Manse, and he knew that inside was one of the Lawgivers. Though ultimately pointless, he knew that to prevent the Manse's location from being tormented out of him, he would need to die; and in his death, he hoped to win at least a temporary victory for the Lawgiver trapped inside the Manse, operating it's essence weaponry against the besieging sky fleets. It was child's play for the experienced aviator and aerobat to slip into the battle; as a fellow Terrestrial, none suspected him until too late; when an airship's defenses were brought low by the Manse's counterattack, he sabotaged his Warbird, overloading the cannon in it's maw with his own essence, and crashed it straight into the artifact core of the airship, causing a massive detonation that ensured his own end, as well as those of all upon the warship. And so, with the last person who knew of the Prehistoric Subgaian Jungle dead, it lay again, eternal, unchanging... At least, until it would be found again. The Prehistoric Jungle is a wondrous, unique system. A self-sustaining ecosystem powered by flowing essence, it is no small miracle that it has lasted since before the records of even the Sidereal Exalted into the Age of Sorrows intact. The ancients harmonized well; the ecosystem within balances itself naturally, suspended on the Essence flows; it has small brooks running through it, trees and giant mushrooms create a beautifully dense location; it rains within on a season-cycle alien to modern Creation, and animals freely roam it, their actions naturally keeping the plants in check. It is not an unpleasant place to live, either; being a Provider, it poses no hardship in terms of finding one's food; though not as sophisticated as modern Provider manses which grow, harvest and prepare the food, one can live and damned well for all of one's life on the succulent fruit and hearty vegetables, alien to the top-side world. Nothing within is poisonous, and none of the beasts are overly aggressive, content to leave newcomers alone. It's hardy; to do it damage would take a deliberate act of geomantic sabotage, either by directly attacking the flora or the obscure geomancy of the Jade and other stone objects within, or by viciously exterminating the animal life, to seriously threaten or destroy the manse. People who enter find the climate quite pleasant; not overly warm, with frequent water dripping from glowing crystals of black jade in the ceiling, quite often erupting into full rains; being within stirs faint primal instincts within all who come to dwell within; even the most shy, reserved bookworm will enjoy the heady, prehistoric atmosphere, and will revel as much in a quick stalk through the mushrooms and bizarre, orange trees with vivid purple foliage as much as diving through his scrolls. Lastly, dwelling within for any extended period of time (a fortnight or more) will cause coloration changes in those who live within; at first stripes of purple, then splotches of orange, and lastly their skin tone, no matter how pale or dark, will take upon the vibrant yellow that permeates the jungle. This effect might prove to be somewhat useful camouflage within the Manse, were one to strip entirely nude, but is otherwise without benefit. It fades within a month at the most after one leaves the Subgaian Jungle.